And yet you may have heard that a person can’t be an endurance athlete and be vegan due to the difficulty of maintaining an adequate consumption of protein — which is associated with meat, eggs, and dairy products.

My Advice For Vegan Athletes

I am myself a vegan. For a period of time I was vegetarian and then made the transition to vegan.

A few of the challenges for me initially was not using creamer for my coffee and honey as a sweetener. But over time I discovered great vegan alternatives for all those things I missed at first.

It’s the wrong mindset to think of veganism as all the things you have to give up. What I discovered instead is that I was opening up a door to a whole new world of wonderful eating, food and nutrition.

Here are a few final pointers to consider as you explore the vegan path:

Educate yourself. Don’t rush into becoming vegan. Take some time to learn more about what it means to be vegan. For most people it’s more than simply changing your diet, but a whole new lifestyle and way of being in the world.

Be patient. Becoming a vegan is a transition that is different for every person. Don’t condemn yourself if you don’t make the transition perfectly or completely all at once. It’s a big change in your life. Be kind to yourself.

Don’t become a vegan fundamentalist. It’s only natural that a person will become passionate about the benefits of being vegan and want to share that with others. Just be careful of banging people over the head with your vegan club. Some vegans turn people off by being so militant about it. I would recommend a kinder and gentler approach that focuses on educating people on the benefits of being vegan.

If you’re interested in a simple transition plan to veganism, here are a few options to consider:

It wasn’t too long ago that I was exploring the idea of doing my first Triathlon. If I can do it, you can too! I’m over 40 years old, but I don’t give up easily. Lately, I’ve been focusing on ultra endurance competitions such as 50+-mile running. I’m proof that with a little determination and training, you can get a great deal of fulfillment participating in marathons, triathlons, even ultramarathons.

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